The Profile of a Team: Atlético-MG

My heart pulses with this team I love so much. And after 50 years, a Brasileirão conquered, and, finally got a two-time championship, that used to be a joke of our rivals. I thought “I need to do a blog about my team, especially after this marvelous season”! So, we’ll see the history of Galo in this blog. 🎵 VAMOS GALO! GANHAR O BRASILEIRO! 🎵 🎵 E O GALO? O GALO GANHOU! 🎵 🎵 EU. ACREDITO! EU. ACREDITO! 🎵 🎵 AI CREDO, O GALÃO GANHOU MAIS UMA VEZ! 🎵

NOTE: I actually started writing this when the Brasileirão (Brazilian Championship) was still running on, because the chances of the title were really huge lol! I mean, 98.5% chance (while writing), what would you freaking expect? And I, writing this blog, would be a shame and international joke (my whole school would laugh at me, friends and supporters of Cruzeiro and even Flamengo... 😑) if Galo doesn't win Brasileirão, although Atlético slides in the worst times possible... but what an Atleticano needs to know to be Atleticano is “to suffer but get out with the victory, and never abandon the team”. I also wanna note, the data might change, but 90% of it is about the time I wrote. So... let’s just start... ;-;

Clube Atlético Mineiro (known only as Atlético and whose acronym is CAM) is a Brazilian football club based in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Considered one of the most popular football clubs in Brazil, it has the sixth largest crowd in the country. Founded on March 25, 1908 by a group of students, its traditional colors are black and white. However, the club's original name was Athlético Mineiro Football Club. It's most popular symbol and nickname is the Rooster (Galo), the official mascot in the late 1930s.

Although it has worked in other sports over the years, its recognition and main achievements were achieved in football. The club is the biggest champion of the Campeonato Mineiro with 47 trophies, in addition to being the biggest winner of the Clássico Mineiro (Atlético VS. Cruzeiro), and also the Clássico das Multidões (Atlético VS. América). At the national level, it was Brazilian champion twice, in 1971 and 2021 (I TOLD YOU!), and won three other official national titles: the Copa dos Campeões - Champions Cup (FBF) in 1937, the Copa dos Campeões - Champions Cup (CBD) in 1978, and the Copa do Brasil, in 2014 and 2021 (I TOLD YOU TOO!). Internationally, it has four official titles: one Copa Libertadores da América, two Copa Conmebol (see? We already had a two-time championship, although toda a former competition) and one Recopa Sudamericana. Whoops! I said well in the beginning that Atlético didn’t have a two-time championship? But there are two trophies of Copa Conmebol! Actually, this competition doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s a predecessor of Copa Sudamericana. Other former competitions I quoted, include both Champions Cup (Copa dos Campeões). 

The first match of Galão da Massa, was against the former team Sport Club Foot-Ball on March 21st of 1909, winning the match by 3-0. The first goal of Atlético was made by Aníbal Machado, that would many years later become a famous name of Brazilian Literacy. Sport asked for new match, losing by 2-0. Another match, and lost by 4-0, making the extinction of the club. On 1914, the Taça Bueno Brandão (Bueno Brandão Championship) was organized by the former federation of soccer of Minas Gerais. Guess? Galo was champion. The first Campeonato Mineiro in history was organized one year after, where Atlético won. Actually, that wasn’t enough for the complete hegemony of América, who won 10 consecutive titles (1916-1925), making the Americanos (fans of América) proud of this conquest (well, the only one basically 😐 I mean, they are doing a new conquest this year: the only time they didn’t was relegated on the year they participated in Serie A, and also the first international competition, which is Libertadores ;-;).

Back to Atlético. To break América’s sequence, Galo built a team with big players, including the so-called “Trio Maldito” (Damn Trio), featuring the players Said, Jairo, and Mário de Castro. They were all forwards. About Clássico Mineiro, the match against Cruzeiro (rhyme time, and that’s already another rhyme), Galo made Cruzeiro (at the time called Palestra Itália) fall on the field in 1927. Galo was already traditional, and Cruzeiro had only 6 years of foundation, but no one would expect an elastic scoreboard of 9-2 by Atlético Mineiro. This game is still a motive of discussion of Atleticanos and Cruzeirenses. Cruzeirenses saying this never happened, Atleticanos saying it did... but Wikipedia has a page talking about the game, so Quizmaster is on our side 🤣. On 1929, they built the Antônio Carlos Stadium (former). It was the first stadium of the state with illumination. The inauguration of the illumination of the stadium in 1930 had the participation of the president of FIFA at that time, Jules Rimet. The first international match of the state was against Vitória de Setúbal (Portugal). Atlético won by 3-1. In 1937, what we can call the first competition at the interstate level of the country happened, the Copa dos Campeões, featuring some clubs winners of state championships. The winner was Atlético with a team featuring Kafunga, Guará, and Zezé Procópio. Currently, there is a process to regularize the title of Copa dos Campeões as the first national competition, like what was done with Taça Brasil and Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (Robertão). 

We have a big time jump to 1950, when the German Football Association went to Brazil to choose a team to do a series of friendly games in Europe. The trauma of Maracanazo (where Brazil lost the 1950 Cup — which was held in the country — against Uruguay in the finals by 2-1), and WWII, where both countries were on opposite sides, made the clubs of Rio-São Paulo axis refuse the proposal. This opened space for Atlético, which was chosen by the Germans. In adverse climatic conditions, the team made an amazing campaign (only two losses, against Werder Bremen-GER and SK Rapid Wien-AUT), receiving the title of “Campeões do Gelo” (Champions of the Ice), which is an expression that appears on the team anthem.

These are all the games of Galo on this excursion. Winner in bold (so, Galo in bold 😜):

On 1968, Galo played against the Yugoslavia National Team. The result? 3-2 for Atlético, with an amazing comeback. The game happened in Belo Horizonte, and Yugoslavia was a big team at the time. In the second round, Yugoslavia was winning by 2-0 on a full Mineirão. Historical comeback from Atlético (which was playing with Brazil National Team Uniform), which intensified the nickname of vingadores (avengers). Atlético is on a select group of teams that have beat Brazil. This happened in 1969, with a win by 2-1. The game happened to celebrate the classification of Brazil in the 1970 World Cup (in Mexico), as well as the 147th Independence Day of Brazil. I should remind that the Brazil team would be one year after in the 70 World Cup, the champion (being the first three-time-champion of the world). On the game against Galo, a team of stars like Carlos Alberto, Rivelino, Tostão, and none other than the Rei (King) Pelé.

Those times, Atlético was playing on Antônio Carlos Stadium, the Prado Stadium (1929-1968), demolished in 1994 for the construction of Diamond Mall. I wanna quote also the inauguration of Governador Magalhães Pinto Stadium, the Mineirão, a folkloric stadium of not only Brazil, but all South America. Inaugurated on September 5th of 1965, receive games from Atlético Mineiro, and of Cruzeiro (sometimes of América Mineiro). Is the 5th biggest stadium of Brazil, accommodating 61,927 spectators. The Gigante da Pampulha hosted 5 finals of Libertadores, an Intercontinental Cup, and was chosen as one of the stadiums that hosted 2014 World Cup (being reformed for that). The same Mineirão, received the terrible defeat of Brazil, by 7-1 against the Germans (although we actually make joke of it lol). It was the first stadium of Brazil, and the second of the world, to receive the maximum category on sustainability, and along the Architectural Complex of Pampulha, is a World Heritage from UNESCO. Another stadium now, Raimundo Sampaio, the Independência (also nommed as arena), which is propriety of América Mineiro, but received games from Atlético. “Indepa” was inaugurated in 1950 for 1950 World Cup. A curiosity, is that on this stadium, the inexpressible USA won the candidate for the title, England on the Cup by 1-0. A reform was made between 2010 and 2012, and the stadium has a capacity for 23,000 spectators.

Let’s say Atlético doesn’t have a stadium for call it “yours”. But this is ending. The team is currently on the final stage of construction of Arena MRV, which can be one of the most modern stadiums of the world. This all for I doesn’t find any pictures on Wikimedia Commons... the construction will be finished in October 2022, but the inauguration will happen in the first trimester of 2023, with shows and friendly-matches. The cost is of 450 million to 560 million reais. Formally, the stadium is called Presidente Elias Kalil Stadium. The capacity may be of 45,414 spectators, and the project was made by the Farkasvölgyi Arquitetura. I didn’t find images on Commons, so these are some images I found: the last image I could find of the current construction and the final product.

Let’s go to 1971, 50 years back, for talk about the first edition of Campeonato Brasileiro. I wanna quote, that a Brazilian league started on 1959 (with Bahia winning the title), but with the name of Taça Brasil, and was also called Robertão until 71 with the actual denomination (some other changes though during the time). The team wasn’t so favorite for the trophy. They needed to take out of the “circus”, Santos of Pelé, Corinthians of Rivelino, Botafogo of Jairzinho, and São Paulo of Gérson. You know where we’ll stop now lol! The team built stars, like Lola, Spencer, Cincunegui, Oldair, Tião, and Dario (Dadá Maravilha). Commanded by the giant Telê Santana, the team won the first edition of Campeonato Brasileiro, against São Paulo. The team would feature even more players that would make a more brilliant team in a whole. I quote Toninho Cerezo, Orlando, Chicão, Valença, Luisinho, João Leite, Éder Aleixo, Paulo Isidoro, Marcelo Oliveira, and Reinaldo (considered by many the best player of the history of the team, being also the striker with 255 goals). They made the team get into the finals of 77, losing in the penalties against the own São Paulo, and on 80, against Flamengo. The first international competition the club did was Copa Libertadores on 1972 (being eliminated on the first phase), and on 78, the team was on semi-finals, in a group with Boca Juniors (hateful...), and River Plate (my second team? Maybe?). And in 81, there happened an extra game, where I just don’t need comments for talk about the complete steal of this championship, benefiting the winner Flamengo (actually, WHEN it wasn’t like that?). The first international title just came on 1992, with the former Copa CONMEBOL, a precursor of the Copa Sudamericana. The second title of Copa CONMEBOL came on 1997, but Galo could have 3 trophies. On 1995, the final was against Rosario Central-ARG. On Mineirão, Atlético scored 4-0, meaning that the Argentinians needed to win by 4 goals of difference for take the dispute to the penalties. At the Gigante de Arroyito, in Rosario, the team did the same 4-0, and Rosario Central won in the penalties.

The club already had and still have another sports. On the 90s was shining on futsal. The Atlético Pax de Minas on the 90s had stars like Manoel Tobias and Falcão, and with them, the team could win the Intercontinental Cup on 1998.

Galo made out to get in 1999 final of Brasileirão, but lost to Corinthians. After playing in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Mercosul, both in 2000, with relative prominence, Atlético played a great role in the 2001 Brasileirão — when Velloso, Cicinho, Gilberto Silva, Valdo, Marques and Guilherme led the team to the semifinals. However, from then on, Atlético started to live with ups and downs. After doing regular championships in 2002 and 2003, the team made poor performances in 2004 and 2005, and in this last edition it was relegated for the first and only time in its history. The recovery was quick and the team returned to Serie A in the first attempt, winning the title of champion of Serie B the following year, thanks to names like Diego Alves, Éder Luís and Danilinho. From 2008 to 2010, in the obsession of conquering a title of great expression, Atlético direction invested exaggeratedly in heavy contractions. Players such as Réver, Ricardinho, Petković, Diego Souza and Diego Tardelli were signed during this period. Even with so many reinforcements and expensive signings, Atlético did very poorly in the main competitions they played between 2010 and 2011 such as the Brasileirão, Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana; perhaps the only consolation was that the team reached the international stage of the Sudamericana in the 2010 edition for the first time, being eliminated in the quarter-finals. Ironically, the turning point in the club's recent history would come after a tragic event. The team was humiliated by their biggest rival Cruzeiro, in the last round of the 2011 Brasileirão, when they left the field defeated by 6-1 at Arena do Jacaré (in Sete Lagoas).

But the team came from behind to win. "Se houver uma camisa branca e preta pendurada no varal durante uma tempestade, o atleticano torce contra o vento. (If there be a shirt white and black hanged on the clothesline, the atleticano shout against the wind.)", as said by Roberto Drummond. The next seasons would be the heaven of the alvinegros (black-and-whites).

The year of 2012 came and the club's board began to live with a lot of pressure from the fans. It was within this context that the club began to bring together a team that every Brazilian fan would know by heart: Victor; Marcos Rocha, Réver, Leonardo Silva and Júnior César; Pierre, Leandro Donizete and Ronaldinho Gaúcho; Danilinho, Jô and Bernard; coach Cuca. With this great team, Atlético became a natural favorite for the title of Brazilian champion. Unfortunately, even after leading several rounds and winning big victories, the team was left as runner-up. 2013 on Libertadores. That’s the biggest conquest of Galo. On the group stage, passed in first place (15 pts), against São Paulo-BRA (7 pts), Arsenal de Sarandí-ARG (7 pts), and The Strongest-BOL (6 pts). Getting to the play-offs, Galo won the own São Paulo-BRA with ease. The next was Tijuana-MEX, a game registrated owith right of a feet defense of the goalkeeper Victor), and Newell’s Old Boys-ARG. Final? Against Olimpia-PAR. The Paraguayans won in Asunción by 2-0. The Brazilians made the same in Belo Horizonte, and the game came to the penalties. With brilliant actuations all the game, Atlético raised the trophy winning the penalties by 4-3, with Jô being the top scorer of the competition. They went to represent South America on the FIFA Club World Cup 2013, in Morocco. Sadly, on the semi-finals, which was the first game, Atlético was eliminated by the host Raja Casablanca-MAR by 2-1, although won by Guangzhou Evergrande-CHN by 3-2.

We go then to 2014, with the back of Tardelli, and the announcement of Luan, and Dátolo. On Recopa Sudamericana (where winner of Libertadores of the last edition play against winner of Sudamericana of the last edition), Galo made good, and won Lanús-ARG, by 1-0 on Lanús, and 4-3 in Belo Horizonte (with overtime). Still in 2014, the club would finally pay a “debt” with its history in the Copa do Brasil. Played since 1989, Atlético is the record holder for participations, with 23 appearances; is the fourth team with the most games played, 140; is the fifth with the greatest number of victories, 72; is the third team that scored the most goals, 290; in addition to maintaining the biggest score of the competition, 11x0 against Caiçara (PI) in the 1991 edition. Even with so many favorable statistics, the club had never won the title of champion. However, history changed in the 2014 competition; in an exciting campaign, the team eliminated Palmeiras, Corinthians and Flamengo, and by a historical comeback (really? No news), and in the grand final they beat their classic rival (Cruzeiro is a joke lol) to win the cup. Aggregate of 3-0. A point, is the fact Cruzeiro is the recording of Copa do Brasil with 6 titles. 2015, the club almost got the Brasileirão, being runner-up against Corinthians (again!?), and on 2020, with a mega-disputed championship, was third place. The own 2020 started with the announcement of the Venezuelan Rafael Dudamel. Then, a “tragedy”: on the second phase of Copa do Brasil, they played against Afogados-PE. 2-2, and a lost by 7-6 on the penalties. Although this game, it changed Galo forever, and soon was announced the Argentinian Jorge Sampaoli to command Atlético. The start was really good, and on Brasileirão the team was some rounds on the leadership of Brasileirão 2020, although at the final, the team unbalanced and got 3rd place, with Flamengo 1st, and Internacional 2nd.

2021, we got into one of the best years of the history of Atlético, and one of the inspirations for make these two blogs. Sampaoli was sold to Olympique de Marseille (FRA), and needing a coach that could have Sampaoli’s style (without do that sucks in the final of the championship), they called again, he: Cuca (the one of 2013 Libertadores), which for me, along with Telê Santana (the one that commanded the team on the trophy of Brasileirão 1971) are the best coaches of our history. The team had players like Everson, Keno, Guilherme Arana, Zaracho, Diego Costa, and him: Hulk. The first games on Campeonato Mineiro were kinda disappointing. But after that... was just happiness to the fans. In the whole 2021, the team had only 9 defeats, in all the competitions it disputed. Against América-MG (where are you Cruzeiro!?!?), the team raised the 46th (bruh 😴) title of the Campeonato Mineiro. The Brasileirão started with a defeat against Fortaleza by 2-1 on Mineirão, and that was basically the only defeat on our stadium we had this year (A MASSA FAZ TREMER, although we still weren’t able to go to the stadium until mid-August). We got in the leadership of Brasileirão against Juventude, on the 15th round, and since that we were kilometers of distance of the other teams.

Passing a little bit to another competition, the Libertadores, Galo fell on a group with Cerro Porteño-PAR, América de Cali-COL, and Deportivo La Guaira-VEN. We made the best champaign of the group stage with 16 points, 5 wins, and 1 draw. No loses. The Round of 16 was against who? Boca Juniors-ARG. We passed on the penalties with canceled goals of the Argentinians on both matches at La Bombonera and at Mineirão (well-canceled, but motive for the players of Boca almost destroy Mineirão...). And the quarter-finals? River Plate-ARG (my second team 🙃). Winning on Monumental de Núñez by 1-0, with the reopening of the gates to the public on Mineirão, we were able to smash a 3-0, with right of a volley goal of Zaracho (a literal painting waiting for receive a frame). But with a penalty lost on Allianz Parque, and two draws, we said goodbye to the competition on the semi-finals against Palmeiras due to the away goals rule.

And Copa do Brasil. The black-and-white started on the third round against Remo (PA). 4-1 on aggregate. At round of 16, we went against Bahia (BA). 3-2 on aggregate on the suffocation. And the quarter-finals? We were playing against Fluminense (RJ). 3-1 on aggregate. Semi-finals against Fortaleza (CE), of Ceará. Aggregate? 6-1, with 4-0 on Mineirão. But back to Brasileirão, we need to say about Bahia. Again? Again. On the Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador), the game valid for the 32nd round, that got postponed, was full of emotions. The first half? Nothing of goal. Now the second half... Bahia made 2-0 on 4 minutes, and with 5 minutes, we finished a history of 50 years, making 3 goals, and getting the second Brasileirão of our history. At the end of the competition we scored 84 points. And the finals of Copa do Brasil against Athletico-PR (did you just saw the “PR” on the name!?). We basically repeated the score of the game against Fortaleza, being a 4-0 at Mineirão, and a 2-1 at Arena da Baixada. What do this mean? Champions! Campeonato Mineiro, Campeonato Brasileiro, and Copa do Brasil on the same year. This mean Tríplice Coroa (Triple Crown)? No. We recalled it of Triplete Alvinegro (Black-and-white Triplet) due to the rivalry against Cruzeiro, that won the same competitions on 2003 😝 Being the winner of Copa do Brasil and Campeonato Brasileiro, Atlético needed to fight against Flamengo, vice-champion of Campeonato Brasileiro, in very controversial situations extra-field, such as place, lack of structure, and faces-off. The game happened in Arena Pantanal, on the city of Cuiabá. After a 2-2 on normal time, Galo raised trophy by winning after lots of penalties lost by both sides, and a score of 8-7 (who complained about our penalties? Alright, take that. Flamengo is vice, of a competition he was classified by being vice. How is it going, cheirinho?)

Woah... DEU GALO NA CABEÇA! You that are reading may not be into sports, neither the NBA or the NFL... idk. But it’s almost speechless what we did this season. And all the history actually. We are not “another club”. I mean, the crowd I can assure we are the biggest crowd of the world, and screw the numbers lol. The 6 biggest numbers of Brasileirão 2021, beating three times the record of public in Mineirão since the reform for 2014 World Cup. We doesn’t abandon the team or call it “time sem vergonha (worthless team)”, (learn with the masters Flamengo). And what I can say about the players. From the years of the Trio Maldito, to the squad of Dadá Maravilha, Oldair and Lola. From the years of Reinaldo, Toninho Cerezo and Éder Aleixo, to the heroes of the promotion to Serie A. From the Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Victor and Bernard of Libertadores, to the Hulk, Zaracho, and Guilherme Arana of the Triplete Alvinegro. I basically thank to all the players and coaches that passed there and helped on our history. What will come to the future? I wanna the second Libertadores, and hopefully a better champaign on the Club World Cup lol. GALOOOOO!